Need Caliber Suggestion for Next Pistol

azonicdh

Inactive
I currently have a Glock 26 and a Springfield 1911 and plan making a purchase for my next handgun. My pistols will only be used for target and since I already have a 9mm and .45, I wanted to try out a different caliber. I was looking for something than would give a different shooting experience and use ammo that isn't too hard to find (besides a .22). Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
.22lr
9mm
.40
.45

i used to have a variety of calibers, but now im in the process of going down to one. ammo logistics as well as price.

now i only have .22lr, 9mm, .223, and 12 ga. those happen to be the cheapest rounds for their class (pistol, rifle and shotgun)

choosing .45, .357, 44 mag, .32, 10mm, .380, .25 now, will be an exercise in frustration in trying to find ammo to buy
 
.44 mag Ruger Redhawk (Super) or S&W...just flat out fun.

If cost of ammo is a concern then .357 mag. But a revolver is next. ;)
 
i thought the same thing-super redhawk 44 mag.
i was looking for something different also,and had always looked at
semiauto's.revolvers did seem my thing.
i bought a super redhawk and now looking at another revolver!
i have every modern caliber of semi autos and was board.
my advice-try a revolver!!
 
+1 on the revolver.
I have a Taurus 85 Ultralite in .38 spl and absolutely love it! One of the funnest guns to shoot. Also have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull. Love this beast as well and it also allows you to shoot .45 LC or .454 Casull
 
I'm with the others, try a revolver. I have four, a Taurus 85 and Smith 637 in .38 spcl, and a Taurus 617 and Smith 686+ in .357mag, which of course can handle .38 spcl also. The 686 is a load of fun, even with full-house .357 SD rounds, but the others are amusing also. You could get hooked; I sure did.
 
oh ya--also my 44 mag revolver got me into reloading,since rounds are a little expensive.now reloading is just as much fun when i cannot get to the range.
 
i like the k.i.s.s method for buying guns. my semi autos i have a number of different guns but only 2 calibers 9mm and 45. i also have 1 380 pocket pistol.

i keep the same concept with revolvers. while i may have a number of different guns i keep my calibers limited to the following.
38/357 prefer a gun that shoots both
44 mag
45 LC

there are enough nice guns out there in these calibers to keep me busy and happy.
 
I'd suggest a 357/38 revolver. My favorite is the 4" S&W k-frame in either stainless or blue. VERY nice shooters. Models 10, 13, 15, 64, 65, etc. There are lots of good ones available at reasonable prices on the used market.

model_10_flat_sm.jpg
 
.38/.357 mag is hard to beat. Can be loaded from mouse fart target loads to serious social work. A S&W Model-19 or -686 is a joy to shoot.
 
Why no .22, especially when you are looking to use your next gun for target shooting?

.22 LR ammunition is dirt cheap (50 rounds for $1.50), so you can get 10x the trigger time compared to your 9mm. It's also a lot of fun.

You'll improve your marksmanship with your larger calibers by training with a .22 LR. You'll also have a great gun to introduce new people to shooting if you have a .22 LR pistol.

You already have a "small and fast" caliber (9mm) and a "big and slow" caliber (.45 ACP). Other than going to a revolver (.357 magnum would be recommended since you can use .38 Special in it too), you're not going to get a really "different shooting experience" with the other calibers out there.

.22 LR all the way!

A Ruger Mark II / Mark III or a Browning Buck Mark are the standard recommendations for a .22 LR pistol.
 
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Thanks for everyone's reply. It looks like a .357 mag will be my next choice. What length barrel do you guys suggest? Also is the S & W 686 considered to be an recommended "standard" for .357's (kinda like a Remington 870 is for shotguns).

I also was looking into a .22LR Ruger, but the problem is I live in NYC and by law here, a person can only legally possess only 200 rounds in a home (not 200 of each caliber, but 200 TOTAL combined). So I can't even own a brick of .22LR's :(
 
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S&W 686, 19, 13, 65, 27, 28.... list of classic .38/.357's goes on and on. But I still agree with the .22 fans. No need to buy a brick of the stuff. Cool thing about .22 is you can most likely buy good stuff at the range or on the way there. Good luck doing that with a .45acp these days. .22lr is a great practice and target cartridge. I hope I'll never be without one. Have fired 100K plus rounds of .38 but the .22 is a must-have for any shooter, IMHO.
 
I was going to suggest .32 or .25 acp :D.


But a 4" barrel is pretty balanced. Anything longer than 6" and a rifle would probably be a better choice.

And don't forget the Ruger GP100, it says .357 on the side too :D.
 
Go 357, especially if you hand load.

Sorry, I missed your reply. I gave a close look at those blackhawk convertibles mentioned below and nearly picked one up in Dec., if you're up for single action I think the Blackhawk is a great choice. If you want a range/home DA or DA/SA pistol I would look at the Ruger offerings also. The GP100 is nice and available in 4" or 6", you can also sometimes find a good deal on a Security Six.
 
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